Of Light and Shadow
by Ryder1478
Summary: Zed finds himself in a peculiar position. For the first time in many years he needs someone who can give him answers. See the tale unfold and where the answers bring him...
1. Prolouge

Author's note: Well, i tried something here, is my first fanfiction, and i want to make a longer story,so i started with this chapter as a prolouge, hope you enjoy :) please leave a review with tipps and any criticism you have

* * *

Zed stood in the shadows of one of the pillars in the entry hall of the Institute of War. It was a huge hall, and it was decorated with all kinds of adornments, from ancient weapons and war banners to juwels and gold. The light of the full moon that hung in the night sky shone through the high glass windows that were situated high up on the walls, though they looked like doors droom a hallway. Directly opposite the great double doors that lead outside to the Institute's grounds was a large stair that lead upward, farther into the official rooms of the Institute. Two doors, about halfway down the walk between the entry door and the stairs and either side of the walkway led out of the hall. It wasn't very suprising, the vast room was built to impress kings and lords in all of Valoran.

All this beauty was, however, lost on Zed. He was waiting for someone he knew would show up, she always did when the full moon was high in the sky. Today, for te first time in many years, since he fell out with the kinkou order, since he killed Shen's father and took the temple for his own, he had the need to speak to someone. He heard the door on the right of the hallway open, the one that lead to the champions quarters, and someone walking down the hall. She'd taken longer than usual. He was about to step forward when she spoke: "Why do you hide in the shadows?"

He froze, she couldn't have detected him, noone ever had, but he was also sure that there was noone else in the entry hall. "I was waiting for you" someone else answered, a female voice, and he knew it well. '_Akali'_ he thought, '_what is she doing here'_. He'd heard her voice from his left, so he quickly changed places with a shadow in the corner on the other side of the entry door. After his travel through the darkness, which lasted only brief moments, h could see both Akali and Diana, whom he was waiting for, standing facing each other. Zed could feel the tension where he was standing, but suddenly the smiled at each other an embraced.

'_Interesting, since when are those two friends?' _Zed watched them as the walked out of the hall. He knew that Diana always watched the full moon, but he'd never seen Akali join her. He contemplated on following them, but discarded the idea, Akali might not notice him if he stood here, in the shadows, in his domain, but she was skilled enough in the art of the shadows to know when someone followed her.

"Didn't i ask you not to follow me when I'm out speaking to the moon?" Diana asked, but she sounded pleased either way.

"I didn't follow you, i waited" Akali flashed her a quick grin. "And anyway, i wanted to talk to you again, we barely ever do."

"I know, but you know that the Solari might not be to friendly to the Kinkou if they found out we were friends. And especially know, when the Kinkou are trying to get the Solari to help in the situation Iona is in with Noxus right now, that wouldn't be all too helpful."

Zed waited for them to be out of the hallway before slowly following them to the door. '_I thought Noxus' Invasion was forbidden by the Institute. What could be the problem that the Kinkou need the help of the Solari for?'_ When Zed reached the doors he stood in the open doorway for a moment, looking for the figures of Akali and Diana. He saw them sitting on the grass in front of the Institute, maybe ten yards away from a tree. Zed smiled. '_Perfect.'_ He quickly teleported into the shadows of the tree to listen in on their conversation.

"It's been too long since we could do this, just sit here in the grass and watch the moon." This was Diana, as always reveling in the light of the moon.

"Yes, it really has, I wish we could do it more often." Zed had never heard Akali talk about something she misses, and he was suprised by it.

As the moon climbed higher into the clear night sky, Diana and Akali talked, about unimportant things mostly, about friends, family (or lack thereof), their league matches. And all that time Zed stood patiently in the shadows of the tree, listening.

* * *

Finally, after some hours Akali stood up. By the position of the moon Zed estimated the time to be about 4 in the morning. "Well, I'd better get going, Shen'll rip my head off if Im even a minute to late to practice, and it starts in less than 30 minutes. Sometimes I wonder who is more mad, him or Ziggs."

Diana let out a giggle that didn't fit her personality at all. "Well, I wouldn't say that, Ziggs is way more sane than Shen"

Now Akali let out a snort of laughter "Watch out, he might hear you."

"Who, Ziggs, or Shen?"

"Both, then they both have a point to make!"

Now both Diana and Akali were rolling on the grass, giggling uncontrolably, and even Zed had trouble supressing a smile. Akali and Diana got up, and, together, made their way back to the entrance. Zed looked down, and saw that the light of the moon was shining on his left foot, just on the very tip, but he was still somehow intruged by it. Up at the entrance, Diana turned around one last time, and looked at the moon. Zed looked back up jsut in time to see her head snap in his direction. He couldn't tell what she was thinking from this direction, but he reacted immediately, teleporting into one of the many shadows of the entry hall, just as Diana blasted the tree under which he stood only a moment before with a ray of moonlight.


	2. Chapter 1

3 weeks later

* * *

For Zed, not much had changed. His matches in the League went fairly normal, and though he had feared it, Diana obviously hadn't recognized him as the one eavesdropping on Akali and her, for the few times he'd met he in the corridors of the Institute, she hadn't even seemed to care that he was there. He knew he couldn't talk to her in the Institute, too many would be watching, and he couldn't talk to her outside under the moon. Then she'd definately recognize him as the one she'd tried to blast with moonlight. He'd have to find someone else to give him answers. There were two options he could go for, one was Diana's archnemisis Leona, and the other was Ryze. Known to have a vast library filled with ancient scrolls, Ryze would surely have the answer to his problem, or at least he would find it. So Zed decided it would be him.

Zed left his quarters in the East wing of the Institute, and walked through the long, straight halls of the buildings towards Ryze's Library, which was in the First Corridor of the East Wing, with his study, in which he kept his most valuable books and scrolls, in a small tower over it. On the way there he saw Akali, Kennen and Shen talking in one of the many courtyards of the Institute. He knew it couldn't be anything important, they always held the important discussions in one of their private apartments, which each champion (with some exceptions), had.

As he turned the corner to the First Corridor, he saw an apprentice summoner leaving Ryze's library, and locking the door. He quickly closed the distance and tapped the summoner on the shoulder. He was so suprised that he hadn't heard anybody approach that he whipped around, and raised his hand as if to blast Zed on the spot. Recognizing Zed, he immediately took the hand down.

" Never. Do. That. Again." He gasped.

"Is Ryze in there?" Zed asked, not wanting to waste time.

"Professor Ryze" the apprentice said pointedly. "Is not here. He's down in the summoning prisons, in the catacombs."

"What would Ryze be doing down there?"

"Research. On what exactly, I don't know. I'm only his assisstant."

"Hmpff." Zed turned and walked towards the entry hall, intending to go and find Ryze down in the catacombs.

The apprentice behind him opened his mouth to call after Zed, but then, remembering who he was talking to, only muttered: "You're welcome."

When Zed reached the door to the catacombs, which were to the left of the stairs in the entry hall, he could feel the damp air come up from the stairwell that lead down. He knew that Malphite and Skarner lived down there somewhere in large chambers. He headed down the stair well that went down the center of a large cave. The cave was big and circular, it had 10 summoning chambers along the northern side, in one of which Fiddlesticks was imprisoned, and the others were only used for practice reasons, now that the summoning towers were built. On the southern side, there were 2 exits, one leading straight to Malphite's chamber, the other leading towards the gem chambers. Here the Institute made crystals and gems, most of magical nature, for many different reasons. Some crystals simply radiated light, others were looking glasses with which you could see anything that was touched by light.

Beyond that lay the Summoning Prison. It was here that Brand, Nocturne, Cho'Gath and others were imprisoned. And that was where Zed was headed.

He found Ryze bending over the runes etched around one of the niches holding the nexus fragments in which the beasts were imprisoned.'_I always wondered where Ryze disappeared to so often. Seems he's resaerching these runes.'_

"Ryze, I need to talk"

Without even looking up the professor answered: "Not now, Master of Shadows, I'm busy." Just like Ryze to not be very polite while talking. Not that Zed was either.

"It's important."

"So is this. Your point being?"

"The difference is, your research can wait a while longer."

Ryze paused a moment. He looked up at Zed.

"Well then." Ryze stood up, looking at Zed. "What is it?"

Zed hesitated a moment, not certain how to continue.

"Get on already, haven't got all day!"

"..."

"I thought this was important!"

_'Oh well, here goes...'_

"I need all your scrolls, journals, books and notes on light and shadow."

"'On light and shadow', hmmm... let me think a moment."

As Ryze was standing in front of the niche he had been inspecting earlier, sometimes muttering about scrolls he might have, Zed looked around the chamber, and his eyes fell on one of the other niches, this one's nexus fragment had a dark tint, almost black. He felt something touch his mind.

_'On light and shadow? Are you leaving the darkness for the light? Are you as weak as all the others?'_

_'Begone, Nocturne! I do not need your advice!'_

_'I can tell you all about darkness and light, how light is too weak, how darkness will overpower the world! I will be free, and then, I will remember my friends, Zed'_

_'There is nothing you have I could wa...'_

"Alright," Zed was ripped from the mental conversation with Nocturne by Ryze calling him to attention. "I should have the books and scrolls you want, but it's a large topic, could you narrow it down?"

"Hm? Oh..." Zed had to think for a moment. "The way light and shadows stand towards eachother."

Suddenly, Ryze looked at Zed completely differently, as if someone else stood before him. "I see, meet me tomorrow, in my library, one hour after noon. I should be able to help you."

* * *

"Akali! Kennen! You should hear this." Shen's indifferent voice called across the hallway. He Akali and Kennen were in the Ionian practice rooms, and Shen had gone to one of the call crystals in the room. When Akali and Kennen joined him, he said to the image of Ryze on the crystal:"Alright professor, please repeat what you said."

"We need to meet. Something has happened, and I thought it important to inform you. If you could, i would like you to meet with me tomorrow, at noon in my library. I'll tell you exactly what I mean when you're here. I must ask you though, not to speak to anyone of this. It wouldn't be helpful if everyone knew of this."

"Professor, " Akali asked. "Might I ask, what this something is about?"

"For now, suffice to say it is about balance."

The image on the crystal flickered, then disappeared. The three looked at each other.

"Well, I can't wait to get to know what that was about." Kennen was already moving around again as soon as the conversation was over.

"We'll find out tomorrow, little one" Akali said.

"You know i don't like you calling me 'little one.'"

"And you know..."

"... that she won't stop. Come on, we need to keep working."

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**Author's note: I hope this isn't a too long and boring chapter, so please: read and review**

**btw: I write and upload these chapters as i think them up, so the upload rate might be inconsistant**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2, here goes...**

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Zed turned came through the door leading onto Corridor 1 from the Champion Quarters B, right next to Ryze's library, and almost collided with Diana, who was standing behind the door, gazing at the banners hanging from the wall opposite the library. The midday sunlight lanced down through the large windows up in the hallway's rafters, bathing the corridor in a golden glow.

"There are so many of them... Bandle city, Freljord, all the clans, the Kinkou, the Solari... and only I... I have none." She kept muttering to herself, but she became quieter, so Zed only heard an incoherent stream of words.

Suddenly, she turned to Zed, her eyes and the symbol on her forhead shining with a silvery light, something he saw often enough on the fields, but never in the Institute itself.

_'Whats happening now? She seems so distant'_

"There is something coming, Master of Shadows, a change, a change that will resound throughout Valoran, throughout Runeterra itself even." The voice cam from her mouth, but it wasn't hers. The voice was slightly higher, and was soft as moonlight.

"What? Diana, wake up!"

She blinked, and the glow of her eyes and the symbol vanished, both going back to their normal shimmering state. She looked at Zed and spoke, now in her normal voice: "I do not know what was spoken to you, it was for you, so do not ask."

_'Why would she not care if someone spoke __**through**__ her? She hates being controled.'_

Zed looked at the wall they were standing in front of. "What were you saying about the banners just a moment ago?"

"I said nothing."

Zed looked at her, but her face was an impassive mask, so Zed changed tack: "Why are you here? The champions are gathering in the courtyard, aren't they?"

"I am here to meet with Ryze. He wanted to talk to me."

_'What? Now? Is he planning on telling everyone?!'_

"How convinient, so am I."

They stood in silence, gazing at the banners and the other decorations along the corridor. When Zed's gaze fell on the banners of Noxus and Demacia, displayed side by side, proudly, almost like two brothers, who weren't as different as they thought. His thoughts then went to old friends lost, but not to death. His actions had cost him friends, friends who are now his enemies. They had tried to send him to his death, but he alone had learned to trick death, to melt away when he couldn't win.

"It's the 13. hour. Time to meet with the professor."

Zed glanced at Diana. "Lets see what he wants us for" he agreed with her.

* * *

"Aaaah, you two are here, good, good." Ryze was sitting in his library, his desk covered with books and scrolls, one large one unrolled in the middle of them all. Around the desk, and down an aisle through the entire room, shelves full of scroll holders, most filled with scrolls, reached up to the ceiling, each equipted with a ladder that could be rolled along the shelf to reach any scroll you wanted. Strangely enough, the only scroll Zed had expected to see, as always, was nowhere to be found. The scroll on Ryze's back was missing.

Zed decided to cut straight to the point. "So you have the scroll I wanted?"

"Hm? Yes yes." He didn't elaborate, but kept gazing at the scroll on the desk intently, so Zed tried again.

"Would you give them to me?"

"Ah, yes, there's a little problem with that... I can't give it to you, really, however I can tell you what you want to know."

"Professor," Diana spoke, who had, until then, just been standing by. "What did you want me here for?"

"I think Zed can answer that question. Zed, on what did you want scrolls again?"

"On Light and Shadow, but... oh."

_'On LIGHT, he had the same idea I had.'_

"Why," Diana looked sidelong at him. "Would the Master of Shadows want to learn something on light?"

"Because, of this." Ryze said, pointing at the large scroll, which was covered over and over with runes, with a free square in the center, on which were imprinted a few lines of writing lines of runes. As Ryze mumbled a few words, the writing glowed with blue magical energy, the same energy that sometimes lighted Ryze's rune tattoos in the fields.

"This, this is your scroll..." Diana was in awe. Noone had ever, ever seen Ryze's scroll open.

"Aye, but this is important, so focus!"

The runes had changed into modern writing, and it said:

**_The balance will come, brought by two brothers from beyond the Sea,  
The one for justice, the other for light, the only whose eyes truely see_**

_'Two brothers from beyond the sea... balance... light... shadows... Impossible...'_

"No, it definately is not. This scroll does not lie." Zed hadn't noticed that he'd said the last word out loud, but Ryze's comment brought him back. "And although you cannot read the runes around this, I most definately can."

"Then you must be mistaken."

"Wait," again, Diana spoke up. "What two brothers? And what about balance to justice and light?"

Suddenly, out of the shadows a voice, completely level, spoke: "You should tell her Zed. We will need her."

Zed and Diana whirled around, to see Shen standing right behind them. Ryze just kept looking at the writing around the edges of the scroll. "Didn't I ask you to wait?"

"You did, but he needs to tell her." His gaze was unwavering behind his mask.

"It is no longer the truth Shen, and you know it!" Zed spat out.

"I know it already."

"WHAT?!" Both Zed and Shen were suprised, though nothing showed on their masks.

"You two were brothers who trained together. Sometimes under the moon. What the moon sees, it can tell me. Some weeks ago, when I was sitting outside, it told me of you two. It wanted me to be warned of something coming that would change Valoran forever."

"It speaks of you 2. You must find a way to bring balance, to light and shadow, to justice."

"Ha!" Zed started. "I have nothing to do with light!"

"And why did you want the scrolls?"

_'Sometimes, Ryze is to smart for his own good.'_

"I don't have a brother." Zed staed flatly, not looking at Shen in the process.

"Yes you do, whether you want to or not. I am trained to restore balance, and keep it, and I will do what I must to achieve that goal."

"Shen, you always were thickheaded." Shen let the comment pass. "Anyway," Zed turned to Ryze, "light and shadow are in balance already."

"No, actually they aren't. The Kinkou are having trouble in the north of Ionia. They are attemting to keep beings very much like Nocturne at bay. They have trouble finding their source, and have asked me to help find some way to imprison them that doesn't take a nexus fragment, or as much energy that we use to keep Nocturne in the summoning prisons, seeing as that would cost far too much energy to be effective. Why do you think I'm gone for so long looking at the prisons?"

"So thats why the Kinkou need the help of the Solari, sunlight to fight the dark."

"Yes, but only one can keep darkness at bay, and he must be a master, not only of Shadows, but also of Light. You must go to Ionia. Fast."

"The Ionians will attack me on sight. I will have to go to my temple, and there, shadow prevails."

"No, they won't. I'm coming with you." Zed stared at Shen, and started to disagree.

"Oh no, you thi..."

"And I'm coming too." Now Zed glared back and forth between Shen and Diana, hoping to stare them down, but Shen's mask showed nothing, and Diana stared right back. "You'll need someone who nows about light."

Finally Zed relented. "Alright, we start tomorrow at daybreak. Be ready."

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**Author's note: okay, chapter 2. again, read, write reviews, and enjoy**

**thanks to rogizo, he's writing stories himself and i asked him to take a look at mine here, and his are pretty cool, check them out.**


	4. Chapter 3

It was one hour before sunrise the next day, and Zed stood on a hilltop about one mile out from the Institute, watching the moon set, and, for once in many years, making no attampt to hid from the light.

_'This _'quest'_ won't end well, there is no balance between light and shadow, and I could not bring it, even if it were possible.'_

As Zed followed his thoughts, he turned towards the Institute, seeing somone standing at the ridge near the entrance, also gazing at the moon. Zed smiled, he thought he knew who that was. He used the shadows under the trees to jump towards the ridge, coming out of the treeline he greeted Diana, who stood looking away.

"You up so soon?"

Diana turned around, startled. She relaxed once she recognized Zed. "No, I couldn't sleep. So why not come out early?"

Zed grunted in reply, then turned toward the setting moon.

"Why were you listening 3 weeks ago?" Diana asked suddenly.

"Hmmm, what? Oooh..." Suddenly Zed remembered his eavesdropping on Akali and Diana.

_'What how does she know? Wait, my foot!'_ He looked down at the moonlight on his foot, and went to answer, but hesitated. Instead, he took a different approach.

"Wait, so no beam of moonlight to kill me this time?"

"I didn't know it was then, but now I do. So I can still do it if your answer isn't sufficient."

"Ah" Zed said, but didn't elaborate. Finally, after a long silence he said: "I was wanting to talk to you. I had questions."

"About?"

"About this 'Light' stuff. I thought you might have answers."

Diana looked at Zed with a raised eyebrow, but didn't push him. Together the watched the sun rise, and then Zed heard the door to the entry hall open. They turned around to see Shen, Ryze and Taric come out.

Zed greeted Shen with a nod, and then turned to Ryze and Taric.

"Professr, Taric, what are you doing here?"

"Zed," Ryze answered, and Zed noticed he'd said his name, not his title. "I asked Taric to give you something new we are working on in the Crystal Caverns."

"Well then, I think I should explain these." Taric took out three gems, that looked like the viewing orbs the champions used to talk with each other.

"They look like our viewing crystals, the ones we use to talk to each other from our apartments, or to our friends at home." Diana was looking at the gems with interest.

"Yes, they do. But they are slightly different." Taric started to explain. "While your viewing crystals will allow you to talk to champions, friends at home, or even watch matches, they need set lines to work. For example, you couldn't call a friend who's not near a stationary relay crystal. With these, you can, theoretically, talk with everyone who has one of these anywhere. But they aren't really done yet, so they aren't fully reliable. But they're better than nothing."

He handed Shen Diana and Zed one each, then stepped back.

"Well, I wish you luck on your journey." With that, he turned and went back inside the Institute.

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**Authors note: Okay, short, but good, or something like that. As always, read, write reviews, and so on.  
**

**Now to a guest review, yes, i'm absolutely aware of how rediculous this storyline actually is, but its a fanFICTION of a FANTASY game, why shouldn't it be absolutely ridiculous? and to Zed not having any character, it is my first fanfic, so I'm trying to get the hang of that and I hope it'll get better.**

**P.S. I don't want to make the chapter shorter, i just wanted to upload something so you know I'm still here**


	5. Chapter 4

They stood together, examining the crystals Taric had given them.

_'Hmmm, I wonder...' _Zed flipped the crystal, which was flat, about half an inch thick, 2 inches wide and 4 long. It was in a pouch that had a clip attached to it, probably to hang it on a belt. The pouch had a hole in the side, letting some of the crystal, which had a burgundy coloring, show. Zed brushed over it with a finger, and it turned scarlet, the same color as Diana's.

"You can communicate with them in colorcode, meaning, if you, Zed, were on ruby colored, Diana could talk to you by changing her crystal to ruby, and talking into the crystal. Works with all color hues. These have hues of red: burgundy, scarlet and ruby." Ryze explained. "You can clasp them to your belts"

They did as instructed and Shen said, "We should get going. I say we pass on the west of the Ironspike mountains, then cross them just before we reach Freljord, and then go to Piltover and take a ship from there."

"If we go to Piltover," Diana said. "The zaunites might try to stop us from leaving harbor. We should go to Freljord."

"If we go to Freljord, we might not be able to leave, and it's very dangerous. The snowstorms, or even the Winter's Claw, could stop us."

As Shen and Diana argued about the route to take, Zed stood a bit apart, gazing at the rising sun, and lost in thought.

'_It's been so long since I've been on the road with someone from the order, or even someone else, for that matter. Last time was with Akali doing recon near Noxus...'_

"Its to dangerous to go near to Noxus, if we go to one of the city-states, we should go to Demacia, but then we would have to sail around the entire of Valoran." Diana was saying.

"We go east." Zed cut into the argument. Both Shen and Diana turned to him, suprised. And even Ryze raised an eyebrow at Zed. He had been standing nearby looking at them, but now he asked Zed "Why would you want to go to Noxus? They won't help any quest to help Ionia."

"We're not going to Noxus, we're going east." Zed said. Diana looked at him quizzically, but Shen seemed to be thinking about it. It was hard to tell what he was thinking behind his mask, but that was the reason Zed wore a mask himself.

"We can't go near Noxus." Shen said. "They won't help an official party going to Ionia, and if they find us sneaking through their territory, they'll arrest us. It'll be hard even for the summoners to get us out then."

Then it seemed to dawn on Shen: "The safehouses. You want to use them."

"Yes" Zed answered him, while Diana and Ryze looked confused.

"Not possible." Shen told him. "The safehouses were abandoned. Most were even destroyed by the noxians when they found them."

"Akali and I used used one that was off the grid, even to the Ionians. We found it there, and used it because ours was discovered. We practically stumbled upon the entrance. Noone could have found it unless they knew where it was, and it seemed absolutely abandoned when we found it."

"Oh yes, your mission in noxian teritory. Akali never mentioned you found a safehouse." Shen seemed sceptical about what Zed said.

"Wait a moment," Diana cut in. "What safehouses are we talking about here?"

"The Kinkou order..." Zed began, but Shen cut in: "Thats of no importance right now. Where was the safehouse?" He asked, turning back to Zed, "And how do we use it to get through the entire noxian territory?"

"Not at all, but we can use it as a stepping stone, we can then pass through the Abyssal Pass. From there we can head east to the coast. There are many villages where we can find a ship, and probably many good smugglers to get us to Ionia quickly." Zed looked at Shen and Diana, seeing them stare at Zed, Diana with a shocked expression.

"Zed," Diana started. "If we go through the Abyssal Pass, we'd go underground. Far underground. The darkness lingers there, so thick that even Ezreal turned back. And if these beings are in Ionia, a place filled with light magic, they'll be there as sure as the moon waxes and wanes."

"We go east," Zed said. "Darkness might be their element, but the shadows that will be there as well will even the odds for me, and even you." The last part he said looking at Shen.

"Just trust me on this." Zed looked directly at Shen, and he knew, that Shen was fighting with himself, an impartial discision, as he was trained to make, would say that he was not to trust Zed, and even if his emotions took over once, he would rather kill him than follow him some place he was more powerfull than the Eye of Twilight.

Then Shen suprised Zed with his answer: "I will follow you Zed, for the good of Ionia, and maybe Valoran and all of runeterra, I place my life in your hands, lets go."

And with that, he turned on his heel and went to the next bluff, looking eastwards.

Zed and Diana looked at each other, then at the professor next to them. They thanked him, and he wished them a good journey. They then went to Shen and started.

'_And so, on the road again, with a brother i lost, and an agent of light, whom i would never have trusted...' _

* * *

**AN: suprise, I'm back! Yes, i'm actually still alive, and yes, this chapter was LONG in the coming, and the fact that my backspace key went missing didn't really help me... Oh well, shit happens.**

**Now, I'll warn everyone who might actually still read this, uploads will most likely be inconsistant, and i might go over the earlier and change some (a lot) of the things i don't like.**

**we'll see how it goes, and until then **


	6. Chapter 5

'_On the road again, and not alone...'_

Zed was lost in thoughts as he, Shen and Diana walked through one of the many forests that covered the area around the Institute which had been declared as neutral territory by the summoners as a buffer zone between Noxus and Demacia. The forest was one of the oldest on Valoran, its trees were towering sentinels, well over one hundred meters tall, and centuries old. Compared to these the tranquil forests of Ionia were young and small. The oaks that stood here threw shadows that dappled the ground and trunks of the trees shades of green, with occasional lightbeams breaking the foliage. The air was still, and three trio could hear the sounds of the forest dwellers that moved in the undergrowth.

"We schould leave the path soon," Shen broke the silence. "We're nearing the noxian border."

"We have more than ten miles to go," Diana said, a quizzical look on her face. "Why leave the path if we can make better time on the road?"

Zed halted. He had the feeling they were being watched, though he wasn't sure from where, and then turned to Diana: "If we leave the road now, we can be very sure that the noxians don't have scouts posted along here looking for intruders. If we leave the road only one or two miles before the border, we might have already passed one of their outposts, who would then alert the garison."

Zed continued to scan their suroundings, and noticed that Shen was also keeping an eye out, as if he had also felt someone. Seeing as Shen's Ki senses by far outclassed his own, Zed was content to wait for Shens verdict.

Diana, who wasn't trained in sensing others looked at Zed and Shen, and noticing something was wrong, started to loosen her blade in the scabbard she carried on her back. Zed shot her a glance, signaling her to stay still. Then Shen suddenly continued down the road, and called over his shoulder: "Come on, we have to move!"

"But, shouldn't we get of the road?" She asked Zed suprised.

"Yes, lets just hope he knows what he's doing, and as far as I remember, he always has. Come on." He turned and followed Shen, Diana trailing behind.

Shen had stopped around the next corner, and turned around to wait for them. "There's something or someone there. I couldn't quite pinpoint it, nor find out what it is." He looked at Zed. "This ones yours. The shadows here will help you more than me."

Zed just nodded. He then felt his way to one of the shadows near where they had been a moment ago. He jumped to it and looked around.

* * *

He kept to the shadows, scouting around the area where they had been when he felt watched. He kept a connection to the shadow next to his companions, in case he needed to escape. He scanned his surroundings, looking for anything that didn't fit in to the rest of the forest. He attuned his senses to find patterns that didnt belong, for sounds that didn't fit in to the pattern. Zed noticed that there was a creaking of branches up in the foliage, and it was continous, and

_'No wind... Up we go'_

Zed felt his way to one of the shadows on the branches high up. He went into a crouch, and started looking through the leaves to the other possible perches where an lookout could be stationed. He suddenly noticed that, although he didn't move, the branch was vibrating under him.

_'The tree moves without wind, they live on their own. Didn't Maokai mention an old battlefield in these forests? Rune magic must have influenced this place. So, we weren't spyed upon.' _

He sat still and pondered what he had noticed. Just before Zed returned to his shadow on the ground, he saw a hooded figure jump through the branches, and stop near him. The figure was cloaked, and carried a longbow in one hand, with a quiver of arrows hanging on his hip. Suddenly, the climber turned, raised his bow, drew back the string and aimed straight at Zed.

Zed reacted instantly. He couldn't jump to a shadow of himself, because he needed time to create one, but gave up his cover and leapt to a nearby branch, just as the arrow hit the tree where Zed had stood only moments before. He then threw one ofhis shurikens in the general direction of the archer, who had shot twice more in the few seconds after his first shot.

_' I can't fight him head on, not here.'_

Zed turned and ran along the branches, away from the archer. He quickly ducked behind a tree trunk. From his cover Zed reached out with his senses to find the archer. He found him standing about 10 meters from the tree trunk. He smiled behind the mask, now he had him. He quickly created a shadow behind the man, and jumped to it. He now stood behind the archer, he was tall and and built like a long-distance runner. His cloak was mottled green and brown, and he stood with his back to Zed. He had his bow raised, pointed at Zeds prior hiding spot. Zed snuck up behind him, and drawing his wristblades, whispered into the archers ear:

"Fear the shadows!" and stabbed him in the back.

The man let out a gasp, and fell off the branch they both perched on. Zed heard him hit the ground with a thump. He smirked.

He jumped to a shadow next to the dead man and searched him. Aside from his weapons, which consisted of his bow and arrow, he carried a short sword and a dirk.

Zed stood up, and noticed that the atmosphere of the forest had changed. It was no longer peaceful and calm, but had turned hostile and threatening. The branches' creaking had grown ominous and loud. A wind started to blow through the forest, and Zed heard a voice drift through the ancient trees:

_"Begone, foul magic, never return!"_

He immediately jumped to the shadow next to his companions. Shen was already standing, and Diana jumped up as soon as she saw Zed.

"We have to leave, now." Zed told the others. Shen didn't ask, but immediatley turned and went through the trees, leaving the path.

Diana turned to Zed: "What did you find?"

"We weren't spied on, but i was attacked by an archer that was climbing along in the trees."

With that, they set of after Shen, and into the forest

* * *

**A/N: No, stolenwaarpig, luckily i didn't fall off the face of the earth, i kinda just hid under it ^^ Good to see someone's still around though. To longer chapters: seeing i'm just making this up as i go along, and i want to upload something every few days (speaking of which, i would've uploaded this earlier, but the website didn't save this chapter :/ ),it might be hard, but i'll do my best to upload longer chapters **


	7. Chapter 6

After Shen, Zed and Diana left the treeline, they started heading north-northeast. The landscape in front of them consisted of large plains of waist high grass with smaller hills and forests dotting the landscape. The three of them split up, with a hundred meters in between each of them. At sunset they rendevouzed on one of the hills.

"Alright Zed, " Shen turned to him. "How far is it to the safehous. We shouldn't stay in the open longer than needed here."

Zed turned to Shen. "Its not that close to the border, or it would have been useless. We need to move through the night, or stay out here."

"So what use was this safeouse again?" Diana asked. "I thought we needed it to NOT stay in the open in Noxus."

"Actually," Zed started. "We need it to resupply, and treat wounds, should we have them. Noxus' countryside is too large to cross in one day, we would need at least a week either way."

At this, Shen, who had been scanning the countryside, turned to them and asked Zed: "Do you think we should go through and rest in the safehouse a day, or rest in one of the forests here?"

"If the lay of the land hasn't changed," Zed tried to remember the layout he'd memorized all those years ago. "We'll have to cross some roads, two of them major trade routes. They're patroled heavily. Either we try to slip past them, or we travel by day, but we'd need to disguise ourselves. That, or we stay around here." Zed looked around, across the plain. The sun had set completely, leaving only an orange afterglow in the clouds, which started to cover the entire sky, with only small breaks in the cloud cover.

"I'd say we find shelter," Diana said. "With the clouds the moon can't warn me of impeding danger. We should wait, at least till the clouds move on."

"I think we should move on. The shadows provide perfect shelter for Shen and me, and the patrols are, or should be, thinner at night. And the moon doesn't have to warn you. Out here, in the shadows, we are the real danger for anyone that tries to attack us."

"And," Shen said, "we need to move fast, time is of essence. Ionia might be overrun soon."

"We'll probably need two days and nights to get there, maybe less if we move fast and without rest."

"I don't know about you two, but i can't run through for 48 hours, so we take breaks every few hours, or you two will have to leave me behind." Diana looked between Zed and Shen while saying that.

"So we move, with rest every four hours for twenty minutes," Shen decided.

They set off directly east, Zed ahead of the other two, because his eyes were best in the dark.

* * *

At dawn of the third day after leaving the forests around the Institute, Zed led his companions into another of the small forests dotting the noxian landscape.

_'This place has grown, a lot for this time...Now to finding the door'_

Zed, Shen and Diana moved between the trees, Zed looking for the marks that he knew were showing the door to the safehouse. He saw the marks on an old oak that could only be seen by one who used shadows as weapons. They glowed in an orange light, subtle, but definately noticeable for someone with Zed's keen eyes.

"Here," Zed told Shen and Diana. He bent down to the roots of the ancient tree, and rummaged around in the roots till he found the ring wich opened the door when pulled. He pulled, and a trapdoor slid open right next to Shen.

"So, this is your safehouse?" Shen asked, as he looked into the darkness under the trapdoor. A musty smell rose out of the opening.

„Yes, it is. Now quiet." Zed told him. He then jumped into the shadows that lingered in the entrance, completely ignoring the ladder that led down. He landed three meters down, in front of a tunnel that was just high enough for Zed to stand in. His eyes pierced the lightless enviorment, and he could make out details. The walls were earthern, with roots growing along the sides of the tunel, looking like support frames, and giving the place the feeling of a natural tunnel, carved out by an underground river, but Zed knew that it led to a larger room just a bit down. As soon as Shen and Diana had climbed down the ladder behind him, Zed turned to them:

„I'll scout ahead. Stay here." With that he jumped into the shadows.

He'd positioned himself so that he stood at the far end ofthe safehouse, in case someone was waiting to ambush whoever entered the safehouse. He stood in a rectangular room, with walls four meters apart, with roots tracing them like the tunnel outside. In the middle of the cavern, there were also roots growing straight through the room, like pillars holding up the ceiling. The walls were damp, and the floor was trodden flat and hard. The room had some chests, a table, and a few cots standing in it. Zed quickly went to one of the chests, and checked inside. He found ninja equipment, which was stored here, first, by him and Akali, and later by his assassins, whom he had ordered to keep it stocked.

_'Good, it's all stil here. It's also_ safe, so...

_'Oh, but is it safe?'_

_'Nocturne!'_

Zed whirled around, and could here a malicious laugh echoing in the cavern.

_**'Yes, Zed. Would you still deny my power? Here, in MY realm?'**_

Zed could now hear Nocturne's voice in his head and in the cavern. It echoed in his ears, and suddenly, the darkness that had sourounded Zed, turned totally black. He could no longer see anything, and Nocturne's body materialised in front of him.

„My power also grows in the dark Nocturne! I did not need you counsel in the Institute, I do not need it know! Begone!"

„**But I am not here to give you my counsel. I am here to prove how strong I've become!"**

Zed started to feel dread settle over him, but he refused to give in to it. He knew that Nocturnes power needed his victims to fear him. Zed, however, did not.

„I do not fear you Nocturne!"

„**No, my nightmares do not influence you as they should, but, imagine what I could do to those close to you, those you love?" **

Once again Nocturne's laugh echoed off the cavern's walls.

„I love noone, I stand alone! Begone Nocturne! You cannot scare me!"

„**Oh, but you do love, Zed. These feelings you deny, they come with a fear, a fear of loss. And so I can sense them. HAHAHA!"**

Slowly, in the darkness around Nocturne, Zed could start to see images of the Institute, images of death and battle in the ruined building that once held the greatest power on all of Valoran. He could see those in the Institute that Zed had grown to respect, and, to some extent, even trust: Talon, the man that was the closest thing to a friend for Zed, lieing in a pool f blood, his eyes wide open, and his own blade embedded in his chest. He could see Quinn and Valor, whose skills he had learned to respect, fighting a loosing battle in a being shrouded in darkness. The summoner who had been in charge of Zed's League Judgment sucomb to fear. The ground ittered with the dead and dying champions and summoners. Zed's gaze locked onto one person who stood alone in a field clear of bodies, completely isolated from everything.

„No..." Zed gasped.

He could see the summoner Elena, who had started to summon Zed often, and with whom he had soon struck up a good connection, and maybe even more, stand facing a being of terrifying power. It was stronger than even Nocturne, and the vortex of power that swirled around her couldn't protect her. She screamed as the dark closed in on her.

„NOOO!" Zed cried out as the vision faded. Around Zed the darkness got even blacker, and Nocturne laughed. Now Zed could feel the fear that most felt when sourounded by the dark. That was when Nocturne lowered his blades at Zed, and charged at him.

Zed saw him coming, but was, for the first time in his life, completely paralysed by fear. Then, a glowing puprle aura enveloped him, and he heard a voice, deep, and completely devoid of emotion, resound through the room:

„**He no longer stands alone!"**

Nocturnes blades could not pierce Zed's aura, and he felt himself revitalised, and the fear left him. He let his wristblades come out of his armguards, and dropped into a battlestance. Beside him, Shen appeared, his blades drawn, and looking straight at Nocturne. For the first time in many years, Shen and Zed stood side by side.

„**Then die together!"**

Nocturne attacked them both with a swinging cut that would've incapacitated both of them, but they were faster. They both rolled aside, and struck back with lightning speed and prescision. But they couldn't harm Nocturne, for here he wasn't under the limitations ofthe Institute.

_' We cannot harm him, we have to fall back.'_

_'Shen?! How can you talk to my like this?' _

_'My Ki senses are highly attuned. I can comunicate with any ally like this.'_

While Shen and Zed spoke together like this, Nocturne gathered himself again, and launched himself direct at Shen. Again, Shen jumped out of the way, but this time, Nocturne could follow him, and Shen clashed with him in a flurry of blows, faster than the eye of anyone but Zed could've followed. Zed quickly flanked Nocturne, and sent two shadows straight at him, but they disintegrated.

_'What? Why do my shadows not work?'_

_'We are in darkness: No light, no shadows.' _

Zed could hear the strain in Shen's voice. He was hardpressed to defend himself from a being he could not injure back.

Zed then did the only thing possible: he charged right at Nocturne to help Shen, but before he could, Shen cried out in pain. Nocturne had hit him hard in the side, and cut straight through the tough armor they wore. Now Nocturne turned back to Zed, and struck at him, rapidly and with precision. Zed could only barely block Nocturne, and slowly backed up.

„**Now die in darkness!"**

As Nocturne's blades descended towards Zed, he knew he couldn't stop him, this being was beyond his power. Nocturnes blade hit Zeds mask, and the metal mask on Zed's face cracked, but the metall held. As Nocturne raised his other blade, Zed saw a white light behind the nightmare. It slammed into Nocturne's back, and he screeched in agony. Then he heard Diana speak.

„Fall to light, being of the dark!"

He saw Diana's blade, glowing brightly with the same light that filled her eyes on the Fields, protruding from his chest, and Nocturne dissolved into nothingness.

* * *

**A/N: I know, it took a while...**


	8. Chapter 7

Zed walked through the moonlit forest surrounding the old kinkou temple, which stood on a small hill on the northern ionian island. The ancient trees, all centuries old in this part of Ionia, almost entirely obscured the starry sky with their leafy canopies. He heard the long, low call of an ionian owl, many of which lived on the main island of the city-state. However, little to none of these owls lived near the kinkou temple, making the call a perfect signal.

Almost noone would be suspicious of the nightly call of an owl. Zed followed the sound to it's source. He came to a small pool of water at the base of a small waterfall, that dropped over several stones, giving a pleasant backdrop. Next to the pool sat Akali, still producing the owl call with her cupped hands. As Zed approached her, she looked up, smiling at him. They had met like this often, talking the nights away.

„So," an otherworldy voice, dark and foreboding, spoke from behind Akali. „A meeting, like so many others, in the dark, in secret, with one who means much to you."

Where the voice had come from, a figure shrouded in darkness appeared, darkening the clear night, blotting out the stars in the night sky, while Akali still smiled up at Zed...

* * *

Zed stood under a tree outside the Institute, a full moon lighting up the Institute's grounds, and the two figures on the grass, laughing and talking with each other.

„... both, then they both have a point to make!"

„Always watching from the shadows, listening for answers? Or because of old feelings, ignoring new bonds?" Zed's gaze drifted up towards the main doorway of the Institute, and he saw darkness spill out, like ink spreading in water, turning the surroundings into a nightmarish black. It engulfed the the entire building complex, the trees, the two women, who were still laughing on the grass. It soon reached Zed himself.

* * *

Zed stood opposite of Nocturne, his last turret slowly crumbling as wave upon wave of magical costructs known as minions ran into the range of his tower's powerfull beam. Despite the tower's strength, Zed and Elena, his summoner once again, knew that the tower would not last much longer. Suddenly, all went dark around Zed, and his connection to his summoner, ad by extent, to his minions and tower, weakend. He saw the spectral being fly straight at him. Zed could feel Nocturne's power seep into his mind as they traded blows, and Zed heard Elena's voice, faint, but clearly understandable: „Now Zed!"

Without hesitation Zed used his powers to jump int the realm of shadows, using them to strike out at the being, lifting the presence of Nocturne from Zed's mind. Zed was slowly filled with a warmth, and the darkness lifted.

* * *

Through Zed's fevered dreams that were his memories, all altered by Nocturne's presence, a strong and bold voice echoed:

**"Return to the waking world, Zed. You have slept long enough."**

Zed awoke with a start, lying in one of the beds of the safehouse. One of Zed's companions had made a fire in the small fireplace. The flames had already burnt low, sending flickering shadows across the cavern walls and roof, which were further contorted by the roots that lined the wall. Aside from Zed only Shen was in the safehouse. He was lying in the next bed, his entire chest and stomach covered in bandages where Nocturne had hit him. His entire armor was next to him on a chest, except for his mask, which he still wore, and his wakisashi lying beside him. Zed's own armor and shurikans lay on a chest next to his own bed, the cracked metal mask lay with them.

Zed sat up and reached to touch his face, noticing that the cloth mask he wore under the metal counterpart was still on his face. His wristblades were also still strapped to his arms. Zed reached for the metal mask that lay atop his armor, picking it up staring into the eye slits. The sheet of burnished steel had been forged aeons ago in a forge underneath far below the mountains of Ionia. Zed had found it after fleeing the Kinkou temple in ancient ruins along with the rest of his armor.

_'An ancient mask, made for a shadow master, now to be destroyed by something much darker... I can't wear this any longer.'_

Zed turned his gaze toward Shen, who was still lying in deep sleep next to Zed's bed. He walked over and stood over his companion, staring down at him, lost in memories. His old self, the one he was not two weeks ago, would not have hesitated to strike Shen down, to bury his blades in his chest, or cut open his throat, and a part of him still wanted to, still made him responsible for all he had gone through. But as he stood or Shen, he knew that he would never be able to strike his friend down. Standing there Zed lost all track of time, and was roused from his thoughts as Diana climbed down into the corridor that led to the underground room.

She was still wearing he armor, her curved sword slung over her shoulder and carrying a pair of hares in her left hand.

"Ah, Zed, you woke up." Diana said as she came inside, laying the hares next to the small fire and laying a few more branches into the flames. "You were out for a while, almost 24 hours. I couldn't wake you even though you didn't have any injuries from your fight save for the cracked mask."

"I don't know, I can't remember... Anyway, how is Shen doing? The wound mortal?" Zed asked Diana as he walked over to her and sitting down next to the fire next to her.

"No, it isn't. He got lucky, if one can say that. Nocturne's blade hit a rib. I think he was aiming lower but Shen's quick reactions saved him."

Diana set about disembowling the two hares, preparing them to cook in a pot for stew. The two sat next to eachother in silence, all that was heard was Diana working on the meal, and the crackling of the small flames.

Zed was the first to break the silence, asking Diana: "Just tell me, how did you two know I need help? I didn't manage to get a distress call out."

Diana paused in her work "When you just jumped of, Shen was as close to angry as I ever saw him. Then, when you didn't come back, we got worried. And when the shadow you left behind dissapated, Shen just said: 'He needs help.' And was suddenly enveloped in this aura, and vanished soon after, so I followed."

Once again, they fell back into silence. As soon as the food was done, Diana gave Zed a bowl and half of a loaf of bread from their rations and stood up, taking another bowl to Shen. She put a hand on his shoulder, and Zed could hear him sit up. He wasn't really listening, but stared into the fire.

_'Nocturne somehow got free of the Institute's bonds, we have to get word back to Ryze. We don't know how the situation is back at the League.'_

Zed rose from the fire, walking to his equipment. He rummaged through his pack, looking for the communication crystal they had been given. Once he found it under his breastplate, he walked over to Shen and Diana, the former of which having just started eating.

"How are you doing?" Zed asked.

"I'll live." He answered with his usual emotionless voice, though it sounded more strained than usual. "At least, thanks to Diana."

"That makes two of us. Listen, Diana, you think you can get Ryze onto one of these?" Zed held up the crystal.

Diana took her own out of a pouch on her belt, looking it over. "I don't know, I'm not exactly accomplished with crystal magic."

"True, but you have more magic than either Shen or me, so maybe you can amplify it somehow. Anyway, I'll have a look around. If i remember correctly, there is a town a few hours west of here. Perhaps I can get some rumours from the locals."

"Ok. But by the moon, be careful out there, we can't help you if anything goes wrong."

Zed nodded and stood up, going to the entrance, picking up his shuriken belt on the way out.

* * *

Zed blinked shortly as he stepped out into the early morning sunlight. The small forest cast a long shadow along the plains westward towards Noxus. The long grass swayed slightly in the wind that was little more than a stiff breeze passing by. Zed turned westwards, putting the sun at his back setting off across the plains. As he traveled, he took care to stay as inconspicious as possible, keeping to the groves of trees and not walking over the crest of the hills.

It was midmorning when Zed spotted the town he was looking for. It was slightly farther south than he remembered, and it had grown significantly, swelling to at least twice its earlier size. The farms that surrounded the town lay to the south and west, where a small river flowed, making watering far easier, so Zed could keep going the same way he had been the entire morning, keeping out of sight.

Zed took up an observing position in a small grove of trees about a hundred meters away from the town's outer buildings.

_'Guards, 6 a shift. If they follow normal routine entirely 36 in town, with maybe 10 in reserve. Otherwise, normal townsfolk, mostly farmers, maybe 300 hundred._

_2 main streets lead to a town square, looks like the tavern is right there.' _

Looking at the town, Zed let out a frustrated sigh.

_'Can't go in there masked, easier to walk in, claiming to be a mercenary... Well, here's for it...'_

Zed reached up, pushing the cloth hood off of his head, revealing his shoulder length brown hair, then leting the facemask fall off, showing his features. Zed would've had a goodlooking facee, with prominent cheekbones, a refined jaw and slightly curved lipshad it not been for an ugly scar, going along his entire right jaw, and extending down his neck, a mark from the shadows. There was not much he could do to hide it, so he left it open, hoping it would be taken as an old burn. Since his mask was off, Zed's eyes were a deep brown. Taking a deap breath, and with an open face for the first time in many years, Zed went toward the town.


End file.
